The Awareness Center closed. We operated from April 30, 1999 - April 30, 2014. This site is being provided for educational & historical purposes.
We were the international Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault (JCASA); and were dedicated to ending sexual violence in Jewish communities globally. We did our best to operate as the make a wish foundation for Jewish survivors of sex crimes. In the past we offered a clearinghouse of information, resources, support and advocacy.

Friday, February 12, 1999

JERUSALEM, Feb. 25 (JTA) -- A group of Israeli rabbis has ruled that a
fervently Orthodox man must divorce his wife, a victim of rape, even
though the couple wants to stay together, according to an Israeli
newspaper report.

The couple has nine children.

The Yediot Achronot report said the woman, who lives in the town of Bnei
Brak, was raped three weeks ago by three men as she was leaving a
mikvah, or ritual bath.

She did not report the event to the police, but did tell her husband, who sought the advice of rabbis on what to do.

The husband is a Kohen, making him a descendant of the priests of the
Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Under halachah, or Jewish law, a Kohen must
divorce his wife if she has been raped.

Some halachic authorities say the husband could have gotten around the
law by saying that he did not believe his wife, but by seeking the
advice of the rabbis he implicitly admitted that he believed her.

``The halachah as reported is correct," said Rabbi J. David Bleich,
professor of Jewish law and ethics at Cardozo Law School in New York.

But since a woman is unable to prove her own rape, the rabbis could have
advised the husband that he ``is under no obligation to believe her.''

The Awareness Center has a call out for articles on Halachic information on Survivors of Sexual Violence (childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, rabbinical sexual misconduct) marrying Kohains. This is an extremely sensitive issue, and one that keeps coming up. If you know of an article or would like to submit one that you have written please use the following link to submit an article.

Definition of a KohenA Jewish male is considered a Kohen if he is a descendent of the first priest Aaron, the High Priest, the brother of Moses (Moshe), from the Levi tribe.

His task is to work in the Temple, be involved with the offering of sacrifices, and with Blessing the Congregation of Israel. Kohen's recite the Priestly Blessing, and are first to be called up (given an aliyah) to read from the Torah.

To maintain a high degree of purity, Kohanim observed certain prohibitions concerning marriage and contact with the deceased. Kohanim are also prohibited from marrying a divorced woman, convert, incest and rape survivors. They are also prohibited from visiting a cemetery (except for immediate family members) or coming into contact with the dead.

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Survivors ARE Heroes!

The Awareness Center believes ALL survivors of sex crimes should be given yellow ribbons to wear proudly.

Survivors of sexual violence (as adults and/or as a child) are just as deserving of a yellow ribbon as the men and women of our armed forces, who have been held captive as hostages or prisoners of war.

Survivors of sexual violence have been forced to learn how to survive, being held captive not by foreigners, but mostly by their own family members, teachers, camp counselors, coaches babysitters, rabbis, cantors or other trusted authority figures.

For these reasons ALL survivors of sexual violence should be seen as heroes!